Massa Will “Definitely Find It A Challenge” In Formula E, Says NIO Driver

Oliver Turvey says Felipe Massa will “definitely find it a challenge” to race in Formula E when the ex-Formula 1 driver joins the electric championship next season.

Massa was announced as a Venturi driver recentlyand he has signed a three-year contract to race in FE, which will be his the first category he has entered full-time since leaving F1 at the end of the 2017 season.

NIO driver Turvey, who tested McLaren’s MCL33 at the post-Spanish Grand Prix test at Barcelona this week, outlined the difficulties Massa will face in adapting his F1 experience to FE.

“It’s a very different formula – the feeling of the car, stepping back into a Formula 1 car is quite different from what I’m used to in the Formula E,” he said.

“It’s always good to drive different cars. As a driver, you get better if you drive different cars, but he’ll definitely find it a challenge in Formula E.

“[With] someone of his experience it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on.

“Next season there’s a new car so it’s a reset for everyone. It’s great to have someone of his calibre and experience. I look forward to racing against him.”

Turvey – a McLaren test and development drivers alongside his NIO commitments – qualified seventh and finished ninth on his FE debut at the London finale of the 2014/15 season, a result he matched in that weekend’s second race from 12th on the grid.

But he warned Massa that with the high-level of drivers racing in FE – 10 of the current grid have won races in the category – he is entering a very competitive series.

“I never expected it to be straightforward,” Turvey said.

“I was able to get on top of it quite quickly, and now after almost [four] seasons, there’s drivers with more experience so it’s really competitive now and he’ll see it’s a really tough field.”